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BAER Accomplishment ReportApril 2007

Invasive Plant Treatment and MonitoringFollowing the 2004 Glacier Creek Fire

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

John M. Morton, Matthew Bowser, Toby Burke, Todd Eskelin, Susie Grimes&

Helen Cortes-Burns

Introduction

The Glacier Creek Fire (#599) was one of 17 wildland fires on the Kenai National WildlifeRefuge in 2004. It was discovered on 14 August 2004 in the Andrew Simons Wilderness Unit,in a Limited Fire Management Option area, on the glacial outwash plain below the TustumenaGlacier at the southeast end of Tustumena Lake. A fire cause investigation was inconclusivebecause the precise point of origin was not discovered, but the cause was most likely fromhuman activity.

The Refuge Manager decided to not commit firefighting resources to the remote fire andselected a monitoring response. Over the following weeks the fire spread to the north and westinto the Indian Creek canyon, and eventually as far as Moose Creek. A number of public use,historic and privately-owned cabins along the north shore of Tustumena Lake were eventuallythreatened by the fire, and suppression activities were implemented to protect those resources.No standing structures were lost. Private cabins and outbuildings (Blake, Taylor, Dolchok andthe Bear Creek Subdivision) were protected. Refuge public use and historic cabins (AndrewBerg, Emma Lake, Pipe Creek and Moose Creek) were protected. ADF&G bear researchplatforms on Glacier Creek were protected. Defensible space was created around all of thestructures listed above (except ADF&G platforms - valuable equipment was removed). Live anddead hazard fuels were removed within 30 feet of all structures. Dead spruce were removed,and live spruce were thinned and pruned, 30-100 feet from structures. All activity fuels werepiled and burned.

The Emma Lake, Moose Creek and Bear Creek Trails were closed for a time to protect visitorsfrom the fire. All three trails have been re-opened including the Emma Lake Trail, of whichabout one and a half miles were essentially obliterated by the fire.

The Refuge managed the fire for four of the six weeks and successfully transitioned to a Type 3incident management organization (Alaska Division of Forestry). A Wildland Fire SituationAnalysis was completed and revised twice during the management of the incident, whicheventually involved ~ 70 personnel at one time or another.

Wet weather and suppression operations finally eliminated the threat in late September, and thefire was declared officially out on 5 October 2004. The final acreage has not yet beendetermined, but the most recent estimate (from the BAER team satellite imagery analysis) isabout 6000 acres burned within the 8000+ acre perimeter.

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Figure 1. Taraxacum officinale ssp.officinale site at the beginning ofEmma Lake Trail, June 2005 (photofrom Carlson & Cortes-Burns2005).

During the following summer (27 - 28 June 2005), MattCarlson, Keith Boggs, and Helen Cortes-Burns (AlaskaNatural Heritage Program) conducted exotic plant surveysat six cabin sites, the Emma Lake Trail, and the lowersection of the Moose Creek Trail. The six cabin sitesincluded one public use cabin (Lake Emma), one recently-restored historical cabin (Andrew Berg), two privateinholdings (Taylor, Blake), and two historical sites with onlyremnant structures remaining (Moose Creek, Clear Creek).The Emma LakeTrail runs for 3.4 miles from theTustumena Lake shoreline (adjacent to the Taylor cabin)to the Emma Lake cabin above treeline; most of the trailwas destroyed by the Glacier Creek Fire (Fig. 1). Incontrast, the Moose Creek Trail is on the west side ofMoose Creek, just outside the perimeter of the GlacierCreek fire; the trail is largely overgrown and does not offerdisturbed substrates for the establishment of exotic plants.

Thirteen exotic plant species were found during the 2005survey (Carlson & Cortes-Burns2005): Alopecuruspratensis, Asperugo procumbens, Capsella bursa-pastoris,Elymus repens, Leucanthemum vulgare, Matricariadiscoidea, Phleum pretense, Poa annua, Poa pratensis,Polygonum aviculare, Trifolium repens, Stellaria media, and Taraxacum officinale ssp.officinale. Except for the common dandelion, which was found at two sites on the Emma Lake

Trail, all others were associated with historicaland current cabin sites. German-madwort (A.procumbens) was a new record for Alaska (Fig.2). At least some of the Poa pratensis wasidentified as subspecies irrigata. Erysimumcheiranthoides was also found at several sites,but this species is currently thought to be nativeby the AKNHP.

In addition, the AKNHP staff identified Taraxacumofficinale ssp. officinale, Matricaria discoidea,Trifolium hybridium, Phleum pratense, Poaannua, and Polygonum aviculare at the USFWSboat landing on the upper Kasilof River. Thesespecies were observed at the transition fromimported fill and the vegetative margin of the boatlaunch parking lot, down to the river’s edge(Carlson & Cortes-Burns 2005). This landing isused by both public and USFWS staff to accessTustumena Lake by boat.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of a second exotic plant survey, in 2006,of the Glacier Creek Fire by staff from the Kenai NWR and AKNHP.

Figure 2. German-madwort (Asperugoprocumbens) was found at the Moose Creekcabin site in 2005. This is the first record ofthis species in Alaska.

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Methods

We estimated percent cover for each native and non-native vascular plant species within thearea of infestation; consequently, plot size was variable. We estimated percent ground cover ofvegetative life forms (needleleaf, broadleaf, tall shrub [>1.52m] low shrub [20.3cm>1.52m] dwarfshrub [<20.3cm] forb, grass, sedge, moss, lichen, bare, water, and other). We described thesurrounding habitat/landcover classes. For non-native taxa, we recorded the size of theinfestation, the age and type of disturbance, and whether or not any individuals were pulled.Previously, in 2005, any vegetation and soil fire indicators (% ground burned, % trees dead fromfire, burned needles, fire scars, etc.) were noted.

For completeness, we also include data from 39 plots that were sampled during 13-16 July2005. Vegetation was quantified following field protocols established by the National BurnSeverity Mapping program for measuring the Composite Burn Index (CBI; Key & Benson 2006).These plots were randomly selected within strata of relatively homogeneous differencednormalized burn ratio (dNBR) values; to facilitate access, selection was constrained to siteswithin one mile (1.6 km) of Tustumena Lake. These sites were not re-surveyed in 2006.

Results and Discussion

Sites which had infestations in 2005 were revisited during 1 - 2 August 2006 (Fig. 3) includingMoose Creek Cabin, Blake Cabin, Taylor Cabin, the Clear Creek cabin site, Andrew BergCabin, and the Emma Lake Cabin (Figs. 4 - 9). The Indian Creek marsh was revisited but it wastoo flooded to survey. Field staff included Matt Bowser, Todd Eskelin and Susie Grimes fromKENWR, and Helen Cortes-Burns from AKNHP.

In addition to the 13 species identified in 2005, six new species of exotic vascular plants werefound: Agrostis capillaris, Plantago major, Hordeum jubatum, Trifolium hybridum, Trifoliumpretense, and Lolium perenne (Table 1). Also, although no exotics were found at the BlakeCabin in 2005, three non-native species were identified there in 2006 including colonialbentgrass (A. capillaris), the first record of this species on the Refuge (Table 1).

It is unlikely that the identification of additional species in 2006 is the result of re-colonizationtwo years after the Glacier Creek Fire. Most of the areas initially identified during the2005survey were not burned; i.e., the cabins. The finding of additional species during the secondsurvey is likely due to the timing of these surveys; the first was at the end of June and thesecond was at the beginning of August. More anecdotal evidence is provided by the fact thatShepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris ) was found in June 2005 but not in August 2006 atthe Taylor Cabin. This is consistent with the flowering and seeding phenology of this particularspecies. On the other hand, common dandelion was found in 2006, but not in 2005, at theMoose Creek beach; this could certainly be a case of post-fire establishment.

Treatment specification (mechanical treatment)

In 2005, plants were removed at four sites. Dandelion was pulled where it was first encounteredat the start of the Emma Lake Trail (Fig. 1). Approximately 50 individuals of Taraxacumofficinale ssp. officinale, spaced across 1 acre, were pulled from a well-establishedCalamagrostis canadensis meadow ~1.5 km west of Emma Lake, but there were too manyindividuals to eradicate the entire population. Carlson & Cortes-Burns (2005) suggested thatthis infestation was there prior to the 2004 fire, and can be attributed to human use of the trail.

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Similarly, most of the pineapple weed and clover were pulled at the Emma Lake cabin, but theother species were too numerous and well established for immediate manual control. Lastly,the few individuals of Matricaria discoidea and Alopecurus pratensis that were found at themouth of Moose Creek were pulled. In total, we treated ~2 acres of the Glacier Creek Fire.

The efficacy of this limited plant removal on the Glacier Creek Fire is questionable. The LakeEmma Trail is contaminated by well-established populations of exotic plants at its beginning(Taylor cabin) and end (Emma Lake cabin). Any control efforts along this trail will almostcertainly be negated by dispersal from these two cabins. Similarly, other private inholdings(Blake cabin) and historical cabin sites continue to be sources for non-native propagules. Untilthese sites are treated, probably with herbicides, and some agreement is reached with privatelandowners regarding acceptable plants for landscaping, onsite treatment of exotic plantpopulations on adjacent refuge lands will likely have limited success.

Implementation costs

We originally proposed to do more mechanical treatment at both the Kasilof River boat launchand cabins. However, because of the dispersed nature of many of these exotic plantpopulations and because the most highly-infested site (Taylor Cabin) was privately-owned, wedecided that the control effort would not result in tangible gains. Of the original $20,000 grant,we spent $3956.55 on salaries and $2484.79 on equipment purchases and food; the remaining$13,558.66 was returned.

Recommendations

Nineteen species of exotic vascular plants were identified as a result of these surveys in 2005and 2006 including two species (Asperugo procumbens, Agrostis capillaris) previouslyunrecorded on the refuge; German-madwort (A. procumbens) was a new record for Alaska!The addition of these two species brings the total number of exotic vascular plants known to beon Kenai NWR to 62; to put this in context, there are > 90 species of exotic vascular plantsknown to occur on the Kenai Peninsula (Caleb Slemmons, pers.comm).

There were no exotic plants found on the 39 CBI plots surveyed in 2005. Indeed, these siteswere so scorched that few native flora had germinated by July of that year; many of theindividuals found were re-sprouting from existing roots (e.g., cottonwood). These sites shouldhave been re-surveyed in 2006. Certainly any future re-sampling of the Glacier Creek Fireshould include at least some of these sites, accompanied with appropriate mechanical treatmentfor any exotic plants found. These sites offer a more unbiased sample of post-fire colonizationby exotic plants than do the cabins and trails surveyed in 2005 and 2006.

Surveying the aftermath of the Glacier Creek Fire has highlighted the potentially significant rolethat public and private cabins may play in introducing and harboring populations of exotic flora.Not only are cabins and their associated landuse (e.g., lawns, gardens, grazing) sources forexotic plant re-colonization of areas disturbed by fires, visitors to cabins are also vectors for theintroduction and dispersal of new exotic species to remote areas of the refuge. Until the KenaiNWR has a comprehensive exotic/invasive plant management plan in place, post-firetreatments for exotic and invasive plants are not likely to be effective.

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Literature Cited

Carlson, M.L., and H. Cortes-Burns. 2005. BAER Accomplishment Report–September 2005.Invasive plant monitoring following 2004 fires, USFWS National Wildlife Refuges–AlaskaRegion. Alaska Natural Heritage Program, University of Alaska Anchorage. 10 pp.

Key, C.H., and N.C. Benson. 2006. Landscape Assessment: Ground measure of severity, theComposite Burn Index; and remote sensing of severity, the Normalized Burn Ratio. In D.C.Lutes, R.E. Keane, J.F. Caratti, C.H. Key, N.C. Benson, S. Sutherland, and L.J. Gangi. 2006.FIREMON: Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory System. USDA Forest Service, RockyMountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-164-CD:LA1-51.

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Table 1. Percent cover (NV = not visited, TR = trace, NR = not recorded) and removal ofexotic vascular plant species at 12 sites on the 2004 Glacier Creek Fire in June 2005 andAugust 2006.

% CoverSPECIES2005

REMOVAL 2005 2006

Indian Creek Marsh (60.11062, 150.61344)Capsella bursa-pastoris *5 **NV

Blake Cabin 1 (60.112410, 150.61540)

Agrostis capillaris 0 5

Erysimum cheiranthoides*** 0 TR

Poa pratensis 0 TR

Blake Cabin 2 (60.112660, 150.61530)

Erysimum cheiranthoides 0 4

Taraxacum officinale officinale 0 TR

Lake Emma Cabin (60.122371, 150.556960)

Matricaria discoidea MOST TR 15

Plantago major 0 TR

Poa annua 5 5

Poa pratensis 0 1

Stellaria media 5 0

Trifolium repens MOST TR TR

Lake Emma Trail (60.12255, 150.62934)

Taraxacum officinale officinale ALL 5 NR

Lake Emma Trail (clearing; 60.13059, 150.57574)

Poa annua TR NR

Taraxacum officinale officinale SOME 5 NR

Moose Creek Cabin beach (60.152740, 150.706470)

Alopecurus pratensis ALL TR 1

Matricaria discoidea ALL TR 0

Poa annua TR 0

Poa pratensis TR 0

Taraxacum officinale officinale NV TR

Moose Creek Cabin (60.153350, 150.705730)

Alopecurus pratensis 60 15

Asperugo procumbens TR TR

Erysimum cheiranthoides cheiranthoides TR 0

Hordeum jubatum 0 TR

Matricaria discoidea 5 0

Phleum pretense 5 15

Poa annua 0 5

Taraxacum officinale officinale 5 1

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Trifolium hybridum 0 TR

Taylor Cabin (60.121570, 150.630970)

Alopecurus pratensis TR 0

Capsella bursa-pastoris TR 0

Elymus repens 5 0

Erysimum cheiranthoides cheiranthoides TR 2

Leucanthemum vulgare TR 0

Matricaria discoidea TR 4

Plantago major 0 2

Phleum pretense TR 0

Poa annua 0 10

Poa pratensis 70 70

Poa pratensis irrigata 5 0

Polygonum aviculare TR 2

Stellaria media 0 5

Taraxacum officinale officinale 5 3

Trifolium hybridum 0 3

Trifolium pretense 0 3

Trifolium repens 20 3

Andrew Berg Cabin (60.117460, 150.630100)

Erysimum cheiranthoides cheiranthoides TR 5

Lolium perenne 0 TR

Matricaria discoidea TR 3

Phleum pretense 0 5

Clear Creek Cabin site (60.046410, 150.644630)

Alopecurus pratensis TR 4

Phleum pretense TR 5

Poa pratensis 30 4

*Values reported as 1 - 10% cover in 2005 converted to 5%.**Site was visited in 2006 but was flooded.*** Erysimum cheiranthoides is currently recognized as native by AKNHP.

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Figure 3. Location of cabins, historical sites, and areas sampled for exotic flora on the 2004 Glacier CreekFire, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

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Fig. 7. Timothy grass and meadow foxtail at ClearCreek Cabin site (photo from Carlson & Cortes-Burns2005).

Figure 8. Pineapple weed at the Andrew Berg Cabin.

Figure 4. Timothy and meadow foxtail (andCalamagrostis canadensis) at the Moose Creek cabin.

Figure 5. Calamagrostis canadensis surroundingBlake cabin.

Figure 6. Lawn of Poa annua, Poa pratensis, andTrifolium spp. At Taylor cabin.

Figure 9. Dandelion, annual bluegrass, commonchickweed, pineapple weed, and white clover werefound at the Lake Emma Cabin.

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APPENDIX 1

EXOTIC PLANT SURVEYHANSEN HORSE TRAIL AND ASSOCIATED CAMPING AREAS

KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Figure 7. Sites re-sampled for exotic vascular plants in August 2006 on the 2004Glacier Creek Fire.

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Exotic vascular plant species observed (14 -17 Aug 2006)

ALGE2 Alopecurus pratensis Meadow foxtailCABU2 Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd’s purseLUPO2 Lupinus polyphyllus Bigleaf lupineMAD16 Matricaria discoidea Pineapple weedPHPR3 Phleum pretense TimothyPLMA2 Plantago major Common plantainPOAN Poa annua Annual bluegrassSTME2 Stellaria media Common chickweedTRRE3 Trifolium repens White clover

MADI6, PHPR3, LUPO2, and PLMA2 were observed along the first 2 miles of the HansenHorse Trail between the trailhead and the first bridge.

1. Picnic spot (N 60.41261, W 150.72031)Open meadow area (5 miles from trailhead). Meadow area is ~ 20m x 40m. There is evidenceof horses having been tethered to trees, some trampling, but doesn’t look like there’s much sign of campfires or overnight use. Species present include PHPR3 (sparse), LUPO2, and PLMA2on the trail through meadow.

Figure 2. Phleum pretense (Timothy) at thePicnic Spot.

Figure 1. Open meadow at the Picnic Spot.

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Figure 3. Funny River Camp II.

2. Funny River Camp I (also called Halfway Camp) N 60.35484, W 150.69901Very well used site, trampled 10m x 15m centralized area with fire ring and cut logs. Socialtrails lead out from campsite and end in large trampled areas (tent sites or where the horseshave been tied). Doesn’t seem like the plants listed below have established much outside the disturbed area: STME2 carpet in main campsite, MADI6, PLMA2 widespread throughout area,TRRE3 (trace), CABU2 (trace), and PHPR3 outside main campsite.

3. Funny River Camp II (N 60.35562, W 150.69753)

Across the river is a large open meadow area (20x70m) that leads to a campsite (10x15m). Thisisn’t as well used as the last site. Species present include PHPR3 throughout the area, ALPR3(trace), and POAN.

Figure 6. Fire pit area at Funny River Camp II.

Figure 3. Main camping area at the HalfwayCamp.

Figure 4. Trampled vegetation outside maincamping area.

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4. Camp III (N 60.30522, W 150.63208)Open meadow area. This spot is not nearly as established as the Funny River camps; doesn’t look like this area is used much. There’s some trampling but is hard to find a good tent spot, no fire ring. The trail goes right through the meadow (20m x80m). Overall this spot doesn’t seem very impacted by non-natives (PHPR3 is seen mostly along the trail through the meadow, andPLMA2 (few)).

Figure 7. Open meadow at Camp III. Figure 8. Camping area at Camp III.

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5. High Camp (N 60.25870, W 150.57373)

This camp is roughly 15m x 40m. It is on the toe of the Tustumena Bench in an open flat areasurrounded by willow. Great views! A lot of this area has been grazed recently so identifying allthe grasses could be difficult. PHPR3 is the predominant grass; also PLMA2.

Figure 9. Timothy growing at High Camp. Figure 10. Tents at High Camp.

Figure 11. View from High Camp on Tustumena Benchlands.